Fantasy Clock～Dream Ruler～

【Chapter 31】Returning to Childhood Memory Induction (2)

【What are you doing? 】

"..."

【I ask, what are you doing now? 】

"You can guess."

【……All right. 】

【…】

"Huh? The psychology expert of the Core Research Association, the person in charge of the "Dream Immersive Virtual Reality" research project, doesn't have the confidence to guess the girl's mind?"

[...You may be standing on the street in severe winter, waiting for the long traffic lights, complaining that you did not wear a few more coats in the morning; you may be lying in bed unable to move, your arms are full of catheters, and you are sent out by medical equipment. The tinkling tormented the remaining hope. You may not be doing anything, just lying on the bed and scrolling through the screen boringly. 】

[Perhaps, neither...maybe you are in a coffee shop in the early morning, looking at the people coming and going outside the window, you think about why you are you and not others, and you think this is a meaningless question, and you laugh at yourself stand up. 】

[Or, I guessed wrong again. 】

"Yeah, big mistake."

[Please forgive me, after all, I am not by your side. 】

"..."

[I don't care what you are going through now, if you hear the words above, no matter where you are in this world, no matter how fake things around you can be—please wake up. 】

"..."

[Please don't ignore it, I must tell you that you have been sleeping for five full years. 】

"Five years? I have been here for tens of thousands of years, Su Luoyang."

[I know that the passage of time varies greatly. Your brain is connected to thousands of supercomputers, and the speed of computing information is far faster than it actually is. A second on my side may be about 525,550 minutes on your side, which is nearly 365 days. 】

"Wrong. According to your conversion, the time passed by my side is far more than tens of thousands of years. It is estimated to be 157.68 million years."

[...You feel that you have only experienced tens of thousands of years because the system has been restarted 1590 times. 】

"Oh, 'only' tens of thousands of years?"

[Sorry...you know I don't like people talking. 】

"I don't know, I forgot."

[I apologize if I make you unhappy. 】

"Why did it restart so many times?"

【...You have stolen all the control rights of the system. They hope to reset the system configuration through "RESET" and restore the original account with rights. Every time the system restarts, all the data in the world will be reset... including your memory bank will also be cleared. 】

"You mean, what I'm experiencing now was experienced once tens of thousands of years ago... maybe tens of thousands of years later, it will happen again, forever, infinitely. It's hundreds of times more cruel than death" "Eternal Tribulation Reincarnation", Su Ruoyang, you are really cruel."

[This is not my wish... The result calculated by "RESET" is equivalent to "the end of the world", which will overturn everything to zero. I want this more than anyone else. 】

"So... the world still has 435 days of lifespan, so it's really your fault? Is it going to be reset so soon?"

【…】

"Thinking of it this way, you are really useless to the extreme. You have fallen into a situation where you can only fight me again and again. If you guessed correctly-the purpose of sending me into this world is to create countless lives with will through me. Do you think (laughs) that what you sent in with your own hands is a "super virus"?"

【...I never regarded you as a virus. 】

"Hey, hey (the system has detected a decibel increase, and has automatically adjusted the volume with a default ratio of 1:30)! You are clearly the "creators" of this world? How could I push you down from the altar so easily (laughs)? Even You, Su Ruoyang, have to use your mortal identity to sneak into the "new world" you created, isn't it too shameful?"

[Xia Qianyan, I don't care what happens to this system in the future, I just want to save you. 】

"(Laughter) You are not joking!! Want me to list them all for you? Alcatel Belmont, Sato Ayano, Feng Chenghuan, William Andres, Charlotte...including you A total of 13 people including Su Ruoyang were born into the "New World" as mortals, I treated all of you as my own children!"

[That is what the upper echelon of the association ordered us to do. Your existence has made this system run abnormally for five years, and all the technologies invested in it have been trapped and cannot be used...]

"Who cares about this?"

[Xia Qianyan! If this continues, the Association will give up the operation of the system... In other words, the next restart will be the time to completely cut off the power supply! 】

"..."

"Ah, I remembered! There is one exception among you—the self-proclaimed "Holy Infant Wisdom", who came to me at the cost of death to see me, and must say that it is a consciousness split from me (laughs) ? If I hadn’t kindly sent it back to the “hometown” — back to your world, it might not even know who it is now.”

"Of course, in the past 100 million years, thank you for restarting countless times, I have indeed experienced the phenomenon of "split personality". The split personalities are all going to betray my own ideas, and they are all against me? "

"Is it the same as the black cat...? 』

"Huh? Did someone talk just now?"

"..."

"Forget it, let me continue—that girl named Xia Yinci is one of them. I don't know if you have the impression that she pinned her hopes on your consciousness of being reborn into the new world all day long, hoping that you can break through it." The fate I wrote to you is so ridiculous! I just don’t understand why she dragged you into some inexplicable domination war.”

"There is another guy who is even more hateful! He took away the dominance of my body by talking to himself, and used my identity to run to you as a dream maker?"

"Huh? Why haven't you spoken?"

【…】

"Oh——is it my turn to guess your thoughts? Let me think... Could it be that the dream maker was your idea?"

[I just want to enter your world with my own identity and understand your true inner thoughts... I don't know how it caused you to split into a "dream maker" personality! 】

"..."

"Stop being so self-righteous."

[...I don't expect you to still trust me as before, but have you ever tried to trust yourself? 】

【What if your split personality... hides your own true thoughts? 】

"..."

【Hello! Xia Qianyan——]

"...I am Xia Yinci."

【What! ? 】

"...I don't know how I would intervene in your conversation. She and I should be consciousnesses that split into two bodies very early. Is this... a dream?"

[It's not a dream, at least not to me. It should be that you accidentally connected here through a dream... 】

"I don't care about the affairs of your world, "Su Luoyang over there", can you stop the progress of "RESET"?"

[...Sorry, this is not within the scope of my authority. 】

"Then, it really depends on you here to handle the matter here?"

[Xia Qian... Xia Yinci, what do you want to do? 】

"I'm not your enemy... at least not your enemy, Su Luoyang."

【…】

【Sorry, I don't have any memories of being in the "New World", and I don't know you well... The computer over there saves the memories. 】

"It doesn't matter."

"I don't care if you have memory or not. What I believe in is Su Luoyang's existence itself, not his memory."

[But is "memory" included in a person's existence? 】

"I don't know the answer to the question 'Am I the one who lost my memory?'. If there is enough time, I would like to talk to you about this question, but the time is limited, right?"

【Well, you are right. 】

[Can you tell me, to what extent do you understand it? 】

"I know exactly what your fate will be after "dominating the war"."

"Since the day I returned the 'Phantasy Clock' to you, the memory of Qianyan has been closely linked."

[Is it Xia Qianyan of the creator, or Qianyan of the dream maker? 】

"I'm talking about the latter (laughs). To you, they are essentially the same person, right?"

【...If you discard the memory problem, maybe it is what you said. 】

[The above is the opinion of the core research association. 】

[But personally, I think they are all Xia Qianyan. Because I can't bear the memory of more than 100 million years, I derived each other for mutual sharing... It's all my fault. 】

"..."

[Why don't you speak? 】

"Hmm, I found that you and Su Luoyang have similarities, that's all."

【…】

"In the memory of Qianyan, who is a dream maker, there is a memory of past reincarnation history."

[Are you talking about the memory of the world before "RESET"? 】

"World memory...? Ah, you can put it this way. Anyway, in this part of the memory, I have clearly witnessed your fate."

"Whether you participate in the domination war or not, the future you give up halfway...I have experienced all the reincarnation history so far through Qianyan's dream."

"Some things are as inevitable as fate."

"On a certain level—this is because you will carry out "RESET" every once in a while, and the result is that Xia Qianyan and the world are reset, and everything starts from scratch."

"So the first few reincarnations took place in a completely consistent history. Until Xia Qianyan's consciousness began to derive a personality with world memory."

[... Your world is no longer reincarnated? 】

"No, it's not that far. Rather, I'm working hard on it."

"Subtle changes bring subtle influences, and the time that runs through the reincarnation is derived to the next reincarnation..."

[In short, the famous "butterfly effect". 】

"...I know, I'm afraid you don't understand."

【…】

[Please continue. 】

"Although the history of reincarnation diverges, some things are still destined to appear in each cycle of history."

"For example, your death time will always fluctuate within three days from January 23-25, 2019."

[...Do I still have nearly a year left? 】

"Um."

"This kind of "eternal reincarnation" is like a clock that keeps running. It is clear that time is passing forever, but it seems to us on the clock that it is a 12-hour reincarnation."

"However, if the traces of memory are left on the pointer, each time it passes through a cycle, it will deepen its traces, and people outside the clock will definitely find the years beyond the cycle. I believe that every cycle of the world, there will be subtle places Leave traces. One day, a savior will escape the time of reincarnation with the memory of the world.”

【…】

【You believe so... Is the savior really me? 】

"I don't know if it's you, I believe that "Su Luoyang here" can do it... But he is essentially you connected with "Dream Immersive Virtual Reality"?"

【I don't understand how I on your side can take on such a responsibility. 】

"..."

"In a short while, you will reproduce the tragedy of 10 years ago - killing your childhood sweetheart... ahem, childhood friend unintentionally."

"This is an event that runs through almost every round of history, and it is also the destiny that the evil-minded other me—Xia Qianyan is destined to write down."

【...How to prevent such a future? 】

"Before this happens, I will give you the way to prevent the end of the world and the conditions to save the memory of the world. After that, I will take the initiative to withdraw from your life and go to a place where you can't get close to me. Then I will be safe. Waiting for you to save this world with peace of mind, and then meet you in the future you are moving forward.”

【…】

"Our world is about to be destroyed, right? This reincarnation is probably the last adventure."

【Yes. 】

"I see."

"Since this "RESET" will completely return the world to nothingness and wildness, let this round of history go to the "TRUE END" that we have never reached~"

[What if fate is still unavoidable? What if, I failed to understand your hint? 】

"I've considered the possibility."

"But in the future, no matter how we plan today, there will always be uncertainties, right?"

"Instead of thinking about the probability that the plan is not feasible now, it is better to face it with you when the time comes. We will definitely find the only way out."

【...It is clearly the last chance, but your plan is an adventure visible to the naked eye. 】

[Do you have an absolute chance of winning? 】

"No. I only know how to win, but I won't tell you."

【...Are you afraid that I'll tell Xia Qianyan? 】

"It seems that you have self-knowledge."

【For now, I will keep it secret...】

"Thanks. Since we are on the same side to some extent, I hope the situation on your side will be smoother than mine."

[Let me borrow your good words. 】

"As for me... well, let's start with the 14th Domination War—"

"Beep (The system detects signal noise and automatically lowers the volume)!"

(The system detects human voice, please confirm the operation.)

[...Resume the volume. 】

"..."

[Sorry, the signal was interrupted just now. 】

"oh."

[Anyway, I'm glad you're still willing to listen to me. 】

"(Laughs) Stop being so sentimental."

[... Another you haven't returned your body yet? 】

"Why should I tell you?"

【Well, even without a body, you should be able to exist in the form of a spirit body. 】

"Ah, that's right."

"I forgot to tell you, that guy can't imprison me for a long time. I will write your life myself in a short time. I hope you will like the future I prepared for you."

【…】

"Why don't you talk?"

"Ah, it could be that the guy who called himself "Holy Child Wisdom" couldn't wake up? It seems that I acted too hard (laughter)!"

"Hey, Su Luoyang, can you apologize to him for me? I just wanted to send him back to his hometown."

【...Xia Qianyan, when will you return to your hometown? 】

"Huh? You won't be angry, will you?"

"I understand, he can't hear the outside world now, you can't apologize for me, right?"

"Just like me now, I can only be called to talk by you in this way—"

[...Listen, I don’t know if you remember——On November 4, 2013, you suffered a terrorist attack, damaged the nerves in your brain, and fell into a coma. 】

[After testing by the Core Research Association, your state is similar to sleep, but you have been in REM (rapid eye movement sleep) for a long time, which meets the conditions for immersive dreams, so I believe you are an excellent candidate for the "Dream Immersive Virtual Reality" experiment , promised to hand over from the hospital to their side. 】

"..."

【—But that is the judgment of the Core Research Association! I just want to use their medical level to save you, this is your only chance to wake up. 】

[As I expected, you have already met the conditions to wake up in just the past four years. Now it's you who don't want to wake up. 】

[On this side of reality, it is now November 4, 2018 AD. 】

[You lie in the middle of a fortress of cumbersome medical equipment. Sometimes you frown in pain, and sometimes you smile. 】

[I don't know what dream you had, as I said just now - I can only guess as best I can. 】

"...Is there anything else you want to say?"

【…】

"You've said so much... isn't it because my existence affects your experiments now? I'm regarded as a super virus, but no amount of personnel can be used to eliminate me, so I think it's better to put this poor girl Wake it up? Don't harm your achievements, who knows why this "sleeping witch" is unwilling to wake up."

"Finally——send you to negotiate with me for the final time. If the negotiation fails, you should give up this system that cannot be used by yourself. Am I right?"

【...I will not deny what you said. But as I said - this is the judgment of the core research association, not my own. (crying) I just want to save you. 】

"oh……?"

【We... No, I have never been negative in your treatment, and even now I am trying new solutions over and over again. 】

[But no matter how hard I try, I can't compare to a simple thought of yours. As long as you can realize that you are dreaming, as long as you are willing to wake up...]

【I just need you to have such a simple thought. 】

"Give up 157.68 million years of time, and hand over your hands to let you receive the results of the experiment in vain?"

"……Never."

【Xia Qianyan...】

"A second for you is an eternity for me."

"Su Luoyang, I also waited for your redemption, but what you returned to me was the end of the world."

【…】

"(Laughs) I don't care~ You just watch the virus that you hate so much and destroy it with the "new world" of your dreams?"

(Signal interrupted, lost connection to target.)

＊＊＊

In the darkness where you can't see your fingers.

There is no sound.